Creamy Chicken Pasta

WARNING! Extremely fatty goodness!

This recipe was so delicious but next time definitely needs the salad to offset all the different dairies that are put into it. It's a good thing that I served this at dinner group because if I tried eating it all by myself I would have been in major trouble!

Creamy Chicken Pasta

Recipe came from Tasty Kitchen

Creamy Chicken Pasta

1-1/2 pounds Boneless, Skinless, Chicken Breast

2 Tablespoons Mrs. Dash seasoning

1 pound Pasta

8 Tablespoons Butter

1 medium Onion, finely diced

1 teaspoon Salt

Pepper, to taste

4 cloves Garlic, finely minced

8 ounces Light Cream Cheese

1/2 cup Sundried Tomatoes (packed in Oil), finely diced---I was too cheap to buy these

2 cups Low Fat Half and Half

1/2 pound Cooked Bacon, crumbled (I didn't measure this I just put a handful in of Costco's pre-cooked and crumbled bacon)

1-1/2 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

Sprinkle Mrs. Dash Italian seasoning on both sides of skinless boneless chicken breasts. Place breasts in a medium sized skillet and cook on medium high heat until cooked through, about 5-10 minutes depending on thickness. Allow the chicken to rest for 5 minutes. Shred meat with two forks or by hand. Then set aside. If the pan is dry, while cooking, I usually add a couple Tablespoons of water to the pan.

In a large Dutch oven bring some salted water to a boil to cook the pasta to al dente (according to package instructions for al dente). Drain pasta but reserve 1 cup of the pasta water to loosen the sauce if needed.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a large skillet over medium low heat. Add onions, salt and pepper to butter and saute until onions are soft and starting to “melt” in the pan, about 10 minutes. Do not let onions brown. Add garlic and cook for 5 more minutes at low to medium low heat. Add the cream cheese to the pan in pieces and stir until melted. Add the diced sundried tomatoes to the pan along with the half and half. Stir until combined. Bring to a low simmer. Add the shredded chicken, bacon and parmesan cheese to the pan. Stir until cheese is melted. Season sauce with additional salt or pepper if necessary.

At this point add in pasta water if it is needed. Add water bit by bit. You do not want the sauce to become too thin. (I have added a bit more half and half as well if I forgot to hold back the pasta water.) Add the cooked pasta into sauce and toss. Pour this into a beautiful pasta bowl and garnish with a little fresh cracked pepper on top. Enjoy!